You know, by now, that George Zimmerman has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder. I am relieved. Like so many, I've been just crazed over the fact that an armed man could follow an unarmed teenager walking on the street, shoot and kill him, and not be arrested-all in a way that suggests that it happened because the teenager was black and the shooter was not.
Maybe it was self-defense. The evidence I've seen sure doesn't suggest that. Maybe it wasn't racial at all. Maybe the tough-on-crime prosecutor won't be able to disprove self-defense, given the now-notorious Stand Your Ground law (do read Mother Jones' examination of the money trail behind the law). Maybe the judge won't be able to stand up to the public scrutiny.
Criminal law isn't perfect. Judges aren't perfect. Juries aren't perfect. But at least the evidence will be presented, according to rules, in a public forum. Serious people will attempt to decide whether or not George Zimmerman committed murder.
No, we haven't yet reached a post-racial America. But maybe this country has moved forward, at least a little bit, on race.
I’m writing to you today with a sense of urgency that I haven’t felt since I began my journalism career. As executive editor of The American Prospect, I’ve witnessed firsthand how independent journalism serves as a crucial bulwark against the erosion of our democratic institutions. Today, that role is more vital than ever. Can you step up today and show your support?
The winds of authoritarianism are blowing stronger. We’re seeing alarming signs of a coordinated effort to silence critical voices and undermine the very foundations that support progressive causes. As Bob Kuttner presciently wrote in our August 2024 issue, a weaponized IRS could attack the very foundations of the progressive movement. We need readers to step up and help us dig in for the long haul.
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–David Dayen, Executive Editor
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